New York celebrates arrival of Disney Cruise

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has confirmed Disney Cruise Line will be calling New York City its newest homeport from May 2012.

Disney Magic will sail 20 cruises from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, with destinations that include the Bahamas and Canada, the line confirmed announcing its 2012 line-up.

The ship calls will bring an estimated 45,000 additional embarking passengers into New York City, resulting in an estimated $11 million in direct spending.

Disney Magic will be based in Europe until September, but will not return next year.

“Disney joining the our roster of cruise operators further cements our standing as a top cruise destination and will help us to exceed the record breaking tourism numbers that are critical to supporting the City’s economy,” said mayor Bloomberg.

“Our efforts to keep the tourism industry growing are one of the reasons New York City is emerging from the national recession faster than the rest of the country.”

New departures from New York are part of an overhaul of services at Disney Cruise ahead of the 2012 season.

Next year the company will sail from three new ports as well as debut its new 4,000-plus passenger Disney Fantasy ship at Port Canaveral.

The new schedule also includes additional ports of call at Port Canaveral as Disney sails from New York.

“In 2012, we are making it easier than ever for families to enjoy a Disney Cruise Line vacation by offering cruises from a variety of regional homeports,” Disney Cruise Line president Karl Holz said.

The new Disney Fantasy will start sailing out of Port Canaveral March 31st on seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises, replacing the Disney Magic.

The Disney Magic will sail out of New York from May to September on seven-day cruises to Nassau and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas.

The Disney Dream will continue to sail three-, four- and five-night cruises from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas and Castaway Cay.

“That Disney would use the doubling of its fleet to test new markets with its extraordinary product is not surprising,” said Canaveral CEO J. Stanley Payne.

“What we are thrilled about is Port Canaveral has been given the opportunity to be a destination port for Disney Cruise Line, exposing our port to thousands more passengers whose next cruise could be out of Port Canaveral.”

Disney Cruise Line also added two other new ports to its schedule.

The Disney Magic will offer seven-night cruises to the Western Caribbean from Galveston, Texas, September through December.

The Disney Wonder, which was formerly homeported at Port Canaveral and replaced by the Disney Dream, will sail on seven-night cruises from Seattle to Alaska May through August and for the first time offer a 15-night Hawaiian cruise from Los Angeles.

Its Los Angeles itinerary also includes four seven-night cruises to the Pacific Coast during September and October.